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3 Red Flag Reasons Why You Don’t Need to – and Shouldn’t – Buy an Email List

3 Red Flag Reasons Why You Don’t Need to – and Shouldn’t – Buy an Email List

“I Want to Expand Email Marketing Reach. Should I Buy an Email List?”

I receive this question from business owners quite a bit. I get it— you want to expand your reach, connect with potential customers, grow your following, etc.

However, when it comes to purchasing email lists, my answer is, and always will be, a hard, “No”.

From a digital marketing expert’s perspective, a business owner who wants to buy an email list is a business owner who’s been misinformed on the email metrics that actually matter. Not only is it unethical to purchase email lists from external sources, but you also risk compromising the integrity of your business when you do (and you’re wasting a ton of money!). Let’s take a look at three “red flag” reasons why you don’t need to – and shouldn’t – buy an email list…

Red Flag Reason #1: It Compromises Your Brand’s Integrity

Purchasing external email lists puts your credibility on the line. There’s no way to verify that the audience list you’re looking to buy isn’t filled with data that has been obtained illegally, and that’s a problem. Sending unsolicited emails qualifies you as a spammer. End of story.

What’s more, purchased lists often contain missing or inaccurate contact information, which means your carefully crafted emails will likely end up in an abandoned inbox (or will simply be ignored altogether). No business owner wants their content sent straight to someone’s junk mail inbox.

Red Flag Reason #2: You’ve Been Misinformed on The Email Metrics that Actually Matter

When I come across business owners who want to buy email lists, it tells me they’ve been misinformed about which email metrics actually matter.

What truly matters in email marketing is engagement. It’s better to have a smaller email list filled with audience members who genuinely want to engage with your content, than to have an extra-long list of contacts who won’t give your message a second glance. Focus on keeping your current list up-to-date with contact information your business has obtained first-hand.

I personally recommend sending a confirmation email as a follow-up for users who’ve just subscribed to receive your content. This way, your recipients can acknowledge that they know exactly what they’ve signed up for. Most major email marketing platforms offer this automatic follow-up feature.

Red Flag Reason #3: It’s A Waste of Your Money

Spending copious amounts of money on email lists filled with non-complicit contacts and incomplete details is a waste of your marketing dollars. Instead of buying an email list, spend more wisely on things that will  actually  improve your email marketing strategy and campaigns.

There are tons of resources available for those looking to boost their email marketing efforts. We suggest starting with Technology Therapy’s Marketing Momentum package—it’s designed for business owners who don’t want to guess when it comes to email marketing. Learn more about our Marketing Momentum package today!

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Creative Director/Senior Designer

Tom DiGrazia

With over a decade and a half of professional design experience, Tom brings his knowledge of design principles and focus on user experience to every aspect of his contribution to TTG. Paying special attention to each client’s brand, personalized needs and individual interests, he strives to create compelling concepts utilizing intuitive and highly-refined design solutions. In addition to traditional and digital design work and oversight at TTG, Tom also boasts a wide portfolio of web development projects with the company, allowing him to stretch his CSS and HTML skills across multiple platforms and disciplines. He feels that being a designer in the digital landscape of websites, eCommerce solutions, email marketing platforms and social media, it is important to understand the code that goes into these areas as it assists his ability to tailor designs specifically targeted to achieve the best end result and further builds understanding and communication with backend development teams.

In his off hours, Tom is an avid pop culture enthusiast, staying up to date on the latest shows, films, comics and games. He can also typically be found taking part in a whole host of artistic activities that help him further stretch his creative legs. Regardless of the activity, Tom is always accompanied by his dog, Eli, and his cat, Tib.

Specialties:
Design, Photography, Illustration, Digital Imagery Manipulation, Wesbite Development

Platforms/Tools:
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, HTML/CSS, Wordpress

Analyst/Strategist

Courtney Dumont

As Senior Marketing Strategist & Analyst at Technology Therapy Group, Courtney is energized by the ability to flex both her left and right brain daily. Courtney discovered her passion for Marketing at Bryant University, where she spearheaded research on students’ perceptions of Social Media Marketing for her Honors Capstone Project. After graduating Bryant in 2012, she joined the Technology Therapy team, where she’s honed her skills in social media, search and social advertising, email marketing, SEO, and more.

Since joining the team, Courtney has created digital marketing strategies and managed campaigns for clients across the country, ranging from plastic surgery centers, to jewelry stores, to construction companies. With a cohesive, cross-channel approach and a focus on data-driven decision making, she has increased their leads by up to 217%. But Courtney doesn’t leave her zeal for social media at the office; she also runs a local foodie Instagram account with her husband to document their meals across Rhode Island and beyond. Check them out: @hoppilyfed.

Specialties:
Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Social Media

Platforms/Tools:
Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Facebook Creator Studio, Instagram, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Emma Mail, Google Data Studio, WordPress, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Microsoft Office